Committing to raising the standard of healthcare for communities TRIMEDX Foundation serves isn’t your typical call to service. For many volunteers, like Medxcel team member Kathy Neal, it’s a call to adventure.
Kathy connected to TRIMEDX Foundation through her work as a certified healthcare facility manager and operations professional (CHFM, CHOP-A) for Medxcel and has shared her facilities management expertise in three countries across two continents on medical-mission trips volunteering for TRIMEDX Foundation.
Lending a lifetime of experience, Kathy (pictured right) lead two fire safety trainings at Beit CURE Hospital of Zambia and CURE Children’s Hospital of Ethiopia.
“When we asked hospital staff what their biggest fear was – they said fire, and yet they had never been trained. It’s important for staff to feel safe in their hospital – it allows them to focus on caring for their patients,” says Kathy.
At TRIMEDX Foundation's first visit to Hospital Oskar Jandl in San Cristobal, Galapagos, Kathy met with the hospital administration team and facilities technician (Team Galapagos pictured above, Kathy on the left). She was able to identify critical immediate and long-term recommendations, ranging from electrical systems efficiencies to plumbing.
“We didn’t speak the same language, but the team was welcoming and took great pride in their facility,” says Kathy.
Reflecting on her travels, Kathy shares, “I’m inspired by the teams who take care of these patients in remote areas. They operate with limited resources, but with great love.”
While no stranger to adventure, Kathy volunteered for the Foundation because she felt confident that her skills could make a global impact and because of the support volunteers receive from TRIMEDX Foundation.
Kathy shares, “TRIMEDX Foundation puts volunteer trips together with safety in mind. There is a lot of care that goes into ensuring volunteers are safe and have the tools they need to accomplish the job. After each trip, they ask about what went right, and what the Foundation could do better. I 100% recommend volunteering.”
With three volunteer trips under her belt, Kathy acknowledged, “Each medical mission trip is interesting, and can be completely different based on the site and the partner hospital’s agenda. I’ve learned that I’m tougher than I thought. International travel is hard, but I enjoy the challenge.”
Call to service
If you are interested in working with TRIMEDX Foundation contact TRIMEDX Foundation at 317-275-1558 or by email. If your organization has medical equipment, or you would like to support our global health mission, email TRIMEDX Foundation Director Audra Plopper or call 317-275-1555.
The TRIMEDX Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ingenuity, integrity, collaboration, and dignity. We support medical equipment and facility maintenance and repair in underserved communities by developing sustainable and equitable partnerships through innovation, education, and engagement. For more information on volunteer opportunities, please visit our website, www.trimedxfoundation.org